The family of a 30-year-old man who disappeared after a car crash in Jacksonville — and was later found dead near a Florida airport — says they repeatedly begged authorities for help searching for him in the tense hours after he ran from the scene.
The case began the night of Jan. 31 with a hit-and-run. Police were sent to an intersection in Jacksonville after a woman told officers her vehicle had been struck head-on by a sedan driven by Austin Fuller, according to an incident report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses told investigators Fuller “drove until the tire fell off and then took off on foot in an unknown direction,” the report states. Officers canvassed the area but could not locate him.
Fuller’s parents later arrived and said their son had called them, telling them he’d been in a wreck and needed a ride, according to the report. But once he realized law enforcement was arriving, he ran, his parents said.
“They [Fuller’s parents] told him to return to the scene of the accident but [he] refused,” the report states. “While on scene, the parents attempted to contact the suspect, but he refused to answer after parents telling him they were with police.”
In an interview with NBC affiliate WTLV on Tuesday, Feb. 3, Fuller’s family said he had left home that Saturday afternoon to attend a hockey game before the crash.
They also said a friend later told them Fuller made a phone call after the wreck that raised concerns he might harm himself.
The family said they searched throughout the weekend but came up empty.
Then, on Monday, Feb. 2, footprints were discovered near the road where Fuller’s vehicle first crashed, WTLV reported. Authorities later found his body in an embankment near Cecil Airport. His family told the station that he “froze to death.”
During their interview with WTLV, relatives criticized the sheriff’s office, saying they repeatedly asked for more assistance because temperatures were cold and they were worried about his emotional state.
“My baby was out there running around somewhere with a head injury,” Tammy Miller, Fuller’s mom, told the outlet.
“He kept telling us, ‘Get to me. Don’t hang up,’ ” she said, recalling the call he made to them after the crash. “He didn’t even know where he was.”
In a statement to WTLV, the sheriff’s office defended its response and emphasized that Fuller was considered a criminal suspect in the hit-and-run.
“A suspect having an active arrest warrant and actively avoiding contact with police would not be listed as a subject of a missing persons report,” the statement said.
“Mr. Fuller was being sought by police for criminal violations following the hit-and-run crash he was involved in,” the sheriff’s office added.
Miller told WTLV the family was prepared to cooperate and turn him in.
“I shouldn’t be burying my son over a misdemeanor,” she said. “Nobody was hurt in that crash.”
“He was such a good person. He didn’t deserve to die like this,” she added.
Fuller’s funeral service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 7, according to his obituary.
“Austin Loved … Sports and could tell you anything about them at any given time,” the memorial tribute read, in part.
“Austin was a brother, a son, an uncle, a friend and a very loved individual. Austin was such a light to our family, he was funny, sports fanatic like we have never seen and kicked butt in some pool. Austin was an amazing uncle to his nephews who adored him, and showed up when anyone needed him. Austin loved his family and friends.”
